Talk:The Bionic Woman (Original Television Soundtrack)
Kill Oscar Track Titles I'm curious as to the source used for the track titles referenced here. These titles match those found when checking CDDB for titles, yet the liner notes and the website both use a code, such as m301/302 which corresponds to Weather Control Device here, (Track 4). Point being, while the preceding track is entitled Replacing Linda, it is Weather Control Device that in fact contains the music used for Linda's abduction. Also,#14 Flooding Waters/ Escape is in fact the unaired original master of the sped-up version which aired, entitled Jaime's Theme (#19). Used for the final bionic run over the bridge, this was a fascinating example of the technique of deliberately playing at a lower pitch, slowly and methodically, with the intent of speeding up the playback to reach the target pitch and give everything that uncanny "tight" sound. So I'm wondering if there's a goof somewhere on the Linda thing, and the other seemed like the producers prioritized the master in the sequencing, instead of keeping the aired soundtrack separate from the bonus tracks. I see TRoB2 has titles up on the site, so ambiguity is done! -Major Sloan 01:14, 6 September 2008 (UTC) :Yeah, iTunes pulled the titles from the CDDB (Gracenote). I think the jacket titles and Yahoo's store uses the initial track names, which might relate to cue sheets. It seems the database info might have been uploaded post discpress. It sounds like each movement contains many cues (in some cases it was the sound editor's job to break them for final cut). Also, Jaime's Theme and Flooding Waters/Escape sounds like two different recordings, not the same recording simply sped up. Jaime Theme seems to be a tracking cue (library cues to be inserted as needed), whereas the Flood/Escape is the track used in the episode. — Paul (talk) 16:02, 11 September 2008 (UTC) ::Yes, I'm sure those odd names in the liner notes are from cue sheets, named to give the sound editor a leg up on his/her job. ::I'll support that the 2 tracks are different mixes, but several instruments are doing the same performances. I find 112.5% gets it pretty close (bumping up to HiDef audio first will preserve more fidelity). Listen to the brass squawk just before the melody begins. In Jaime's theme this awkward squawk is mixed down to near inaudibility (it's at the end of the brass phrase we hear after Rawlins says "The storm's outta control!"), but it's the same squawk (0:59 Flooding, 0:51 Jaime's). Percussion is different with some snare missing from the percussive intro in "Flooding," and some drum hits after the second go at the melody. The conclusion is a quite different mix, yet many elements remain the same. I'm willing to believe Harnell's band was good enough to replicate these performances in different sessions, but I'm not convinced that's the story here. ::"Jaime's Theme" (The track on the disc) is the track in the episode, however. I've uploaded the segment in question here. The slowness of "Flooding" is far too great to be explained by the PAL speedup on the DVD. Also the squawk is at the level in JT, not FW/E's more prominent squawk. -Major Sloan 23:50, 12 September 2008 (UTC) :::Well, with the timing nailed at 116.2%, it's uncannily similar, yet different enough that I'd say you're right that they are different sessions. The "Squawk" is actually of a different character, not just softer. Here's the sped up version:Media:Jaime's Escape.ogg There's no accompanying pitch shift to the speed up; the drums seem to be deeper versus the melody as compared to Jaime's Theme, another red flag. This is the pace used in the episode, but I'm inclined to say at this point that the slow version was commissioned but not used. Perhaps Harnell intended Flooding to be used in the ep, but the music editor used Jaime's Theme instead, which would account for the sequencing on the album. Speaking of which, the music edit in that scene, where the melody is cut and loops back to the rhythm, bugged the hell out of me, and this release finally vindicated my belief that the edit was not the composer's fault. At least the melody got to finish the second go round (which is why I used the latter part in the video excerpt).-Major Sloan 21:00, 19 September 2008 (UTC) ::::Music editors are not always a composer's favorite person. Although, Harnell was grateful to the editor that patched up Lindsay's "Feelings." Something like 30 takes! :) Thanks for keeping on top of this, Joe. I thought the sequenced used in the episode was the slower one, but right you are. Maybe it's just that scene that seemed sluggish in my mind? BTW, did you get your Bigfoot CD yet? I think I've listened to 'Bionic trio' 20 times already, clearly the best track, Harnell's marriage of Steve and Jaime's themes in brilliant counterpoint has always been iconic for me. — Paul (talk) 17:40, 24 September 2008 (UTC) :::::Yes, I've got my CD, love it. As I mentioned to you previously, the unveiling of the Theme here was something I really wanted to have, and already had lousy rips with dialog and so on - into the trash with that stuff! My personal fave is Jaime vs Bigfoot - Round 2; that allows the entire 17 note theme to wrap and repeat the final six notes, then the brass section gets up with the rhythm like they're going to start something big - only to be cut off. :::::That's the sad part, that all the scoring for television forces all these partial renditions- one of the reasons why I like Oliver Nelson's "Baja Bossa" so much: he takes his theme from The Peeping Blonde and makes a full jazz piece from it. For Jaime's Theme we've got the Kill Oscar versions we've been discussing, and the original piece on "The Film Music of Joe Harnell," but I love the orchestrations in Bigfoot. The sweetness of the strings, the deliberate pacing, the dreamy little accents that give it a bit of funk. "Bionic Action" (the later part, around 3:39) has a sly mischief to it that is too cool. Of course, "Jaime Drops In" is the original debut of the theme (unless you subscribe to my belief regarding the use of the title music), so it has a special place, and is one of the most clearly presented versions of the theme, as befits an introduction- this was an old favorite. But "Bionic Trio" is the epic of the score, no doubt. Joe gave respect to Nelson, and the themes really do blend well, albeit for a singular moment. When I was a kid, the deep brass it begins with (a tuba?) bugged me - it seemed out of place, somehow. These days I'm more appreciative of aggressive musical stylings, and I love it now. I've made 2 medleys of Jaime's Theme over the last week: one of just the Bigfoot versions, and another combining everything I have (Kill Oscar and Film Music). Ideal if you love the snippets of the theme but can never get a roll on cause they aren't long enough. :::::This is a good moment for Bionic fans, and we could use a few! --Major Sloan 20:59, 24 September 2008 (UTC)